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发帖数: 29846 | 1 By Thomas Cloud
February 2, 2012
(CNSNews.com) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) vowed today
that she will join with the Obama administration in standing up against the
Catholic Church in defending a new regulation that will require Catholic
individuals to buy, and Catholic institutions to provide, health insurance
plans that cover sterilizations and artificial contraceptives, including
those that induce abortions.
The Catholic church teaches that sterilization, artificial contraception and
abortion are morally wrong and the Catholic bishops of the United States
have argued that forcing a Catholic individual to purchase a health
insurance plan that covers these things--or forcing a Catholic institution
to provide such a plan--forces Catholics to act against their consciences
and is a violation of the First Amendment right to free exercise of religion.
In letters being read from the pulpit in Catholic parishes across the nation
, Catholic bishops are saying: “We cannot—we will not—comply with this
unjust law.”
At her Wednesday press briefing, CNSNews.com asked Pelosi: “The
administration has issued a regulation that will require all health-care
plans to cover sterilization and all FDA-approved contraceptives, including
those that induce abortions. This would force Catholic individuals and
institutions to act against their consciences. All across the nation,
Catholic bishops are saying:--
Pelosi responded: "Is this a speech, or do we have a question in disguise as
a speech?"
CNSNews.com continued: “‘We cannot--we will not—comply with this law.’
Catholic bishops are saying they will not comply with this law. Will you
stand with your fellow Catholics in resisting this law or will you stick by
the administration?”
Pelosi: “First of all, I am going to stick with my fellow Catholics in
supporting the administration on this. I think it was a very courageous
decision that they made, and I support it.”
Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius first announced the
proposed regulation in August as part of the initial implementation of
Obamacare. The regulation, as proposed, was set to take effect on Aug. 1 of
this year. In September, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops sent public
comments on the regulation to HHS. In these comments, the bishops called
the regulation an “unprecedented attack on religious freedom” and urged
that it be rescinded.
In November, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York, the president of the U.S.
Conference of Catholic Bishops, met with President Obama and personally
explained to him the Catholic Church’s objections to the regulation.
On Jan. 20, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius announced
that the regulations would go forward and will take effect for most health
care plans as of Aug. 1. However, Sebelius gave religiously affiliated non-
profit organizations---such as Catholic hospitals, universities, and
charitable organizations---an additional year to “adapt” to the mandate.
For them, it now set to take effect on Aug. 1, 2013.
Following Sebelius announcement, the Catholic bishops put out a statement
calling the regulation “literally unconscionable.” Meanwhile, Catholic
bishops around the country have been calling on Catholics to oppose the
regulation.
Many of the bishops have published letters that priests are reading to their
congregations. The letters explain the Catholic objections to the
regulation and call for Catholics to resist it. Many of these letter
include the following passage from the letter Bishop Paul Loverde of
Arlington, Va., and Bishop Francis DiLorenzo of Richmond, Va., have asked
their priests to read at Mass this coming Sunday:
“In so ruling, the Administration has cast aside the First Amendment to the
Constitution of the United States, denying to Catholics our Nation’s first
and most fundamental freedom, that of religious liberty. And as a result,
unless the rule is overturned, we Catholics will be compelled either to
violate our consciences, or to drop health coverage for our employees (and
suffer the penalties for doing do). The Administration’s sole concession
was to give our institutions one year to comply.
“We cannot—we will not—comply with this unjust law.”
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secure. | y****t
发帖数: 10233 | 2
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【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: By Thomas Cloud
: February 2, 2012
: (CNSNews.com) - House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D.-Calif.) vowed today
: that she will join with the Obama administration in standing up against the
: Catholic Church in defending a new regulation that will require Catholic
: individuals to buy, and Catholic institutions to provide, health insurance
: plans that cover sterilizations and artificial contraceptives, including
: those that induce abortions.
: The Catholic church teaches that sterilization, artificial contraception and
: abortion are morally wrong and the Catholic bishops of the United States
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